Secret Garden
by Harrish6
Summary: (I made and own the cover) It ran in the family. The beautiful flowers that bloomed on their bodies was something that ran in the family much like brown hair did. While they might be different colors and types of flowers, they all had one thing in common no matter what kind of flower they were. They were poisonous. Hope Azalea Honey was going to die. Too bad her best friend said no
1. Oh Mary, Contrary

_This idea came to me while I was listening to 'Secret Garden' and thinking about Ducktales. Then I thought about Flowerfell, but at the same time I was still thinking about Ducktales and Darkwing Duck. Eventually my head put together this picture above. After thinking about it, I decided to make it a story!_

 _So I made my two OCs into anthros and decided to go for it! I chose Hope to have the Flower Curse as it fit with her more then Nicole. Hope's full name is 'Hope Azalea Honey' and she is also on the sickly side. It just fit with her more and made more sense in the end._

 _Azalea's are poisonous flowers, toxic to bees as well even though the nectar can be harvested via honey bees. Eating small doses may not kill you if treated right away and treated correctly, but eating a ton of them can kill you even with treatment if eaten enough of them. Honey made from their nectar has high concentrations of the toxins in it and can kill a person easily. It is also called "Mad Honey" as it does cause confusion to the eater. Every part of the flower is toxic and can cause serious harm if ingested. So, please, be careful and don't eat them. Even a little can kill you if not treated._

 _On another note though, Azaleas are very pretty, a nice pink color - in a lot of different shades of pink, and also can come in duel colors, for example; pink and white. - and very oriental looking, they are also said to smell wonderful. But then again, most things that are toxic are enrapturing in one way or another._

 _So, yeah, I thought that Hope fit in with the whole thing. What is growing on Hope by the way are Azaleas._

 _This is rated mature because this does have some adult themes in here. I'm not about to put it up and get in trouble for not putting it up once we get to the more darker or mature themes in general. So warnings for that._

 _Also, I have been told that I can hit the feels hard. So I would get everything ready for when they do come; tissues, ice cream and the like._

 ** _-Chapter Start-_**

 _~Oh Mary, Contrary~_

Wide hazel eyes were glued to the mirror, face blank in shock.

The mirror showed that she almost was completely fine, normal even.

A tall and thin white female duck stood in front of the mirror. She had a light orange beak, was unhealthily thin via genetics and high metabolism, with very short brown hair with red highlights on top of her head, the bangs side-swept while the back was too short to even grab at. Wearing a bluish green sweater with blue jeans. No shoes or glasses on yet as it was early morning and she just got up.

What a _surprise_ she got right in the morning too.

Hope Azalea Honey almost looked fine.

 _Almost._

 _~How Does Your Garden Grow?~~_

There, on the left side of her face near her left eye, was a pink flower. Not just any type of flower though. Recognizing her middle name was simple, Hope has seen pictures of it her whole life. The flower that was so close to her eyes was a _azalea_.

Azaleas are _toxic_. Every part of the flower was toxic and could kill a person even in small doses.

Tears started to form in her eyes as the tall duck realized what was going on. But that didn't stop denial coming in hard and strong at first.

 _'It hasn't happened in generations! The last one was Great-great-great Grandma! It skipped! It should have skipped me! That's what Dad told me it would do! Everyone said that it STOPPED!'_

 _~Come With Me,~_

Reaching up a shaking hand, Hope lightly touched the cursed flower. Heart stopping is too kind of a word for that this is. Denial can only get her so far, and even if she didn't want this, it's here. Right in front of her. _On_ her. Denial fought to come up, but her common sense fought just as hard to push it down.

A war not just in mind waged inside her. Emotions were going everywhere so fast that she honestly was starting to feel sick.

Sniffing, Hope shook and shivered. Cold crept on her. The Reaper's hands were on her now. He was over her and watching for the moment where the flowers will overtake her. He's waiting for the flowers to suffocate her body, for the poison to do it's job.

Was this what her ancestors thought when they saw the flowers on their bodies? Did they see Death right behind them, scythe at the ready like she is?

Or did they see what will become of their life, now that there is a timer on them? Hope's timer was ticking down, and she didn't even know the number on it. Nor will she ever will, all she knows is what was going to be the end of her...Unless she decided to end it herself much like a few other family members possibly did.

...No, she's much too of a coward to take her own life. She's too weak for that.

Why? Why did she have to be born within the Honey family?! WHY HER!?

 _~And You'll Be,~_

Making sure not to blink, not wanting to be blinded by tears, Hope gently felt the flower under her hand.

It was pretty to look at. Soft pink mixing in with rose pink, blooming beautifully. The smell was enrapturing. The type of smell that would attract bees and birds from miles away.

Showed just why they say never to trust something so pretty out in the wild. Most of the things that look so good, everything from plants to animals, are deadly. Bright colorful animals are known to be poisonous. Sweet and pretty flowers are known to be toxic.

All the _better_ that it was now growing out of her body. Ironic as it is, at least Hope knows how the toxins will kill her off. Azaleas are very poisonous after all, killing people and bees alike. If honey bees survive long enough to make it into honey, it's even worse. Azalea Honey is known for causing massive confusion if eaten before killing the person.

It was also called 'Mad Honey'.

Her whole name now had a new meaning to it, and Hope hated it.

Twitching, Hope bitterly wondered if she was going to go mad before dying.

 _Mad Honey_ indeed.

 _~The Seventh Maid In A Row~_

The Honey's had a horrible secret.

They were cursed. The whole family was cursed, and no one knew how it started or why. No one even knows why only some get the curse while others don't. None of it makes sense, not one bit. It all ends the same though, with death and grieving.

They named it the 'Flower Curse'. Simple and easy to not understand unless you knew what it was. It had ran for six whole generations that the family knows of, killing off hundreds and dozens at a time. Sometimes it was only a few, but then it grew in numbers. Age, gender, or health didn't matter to the curse. It ran by it's own rules and logic. Although it usually did come around the younger years to young adult years. It was rare to see someone older get it. Now _having_ it was a different matter.

The Flower Curse was simple in a way. Flowers, one type of flower, grows on the body. It was different for each person on what type and color of flower they got. No one knew why they got the type of flower they got, it was random to them. The only thing they ever had in common is that they were all poisonous, toxic and killing the body it was growing on and out of. Time was also random at best. The flowers could kill someone off in a matter of days or even years later. Some grow fast to overtake the body, some grow small and take longer to cover any amounts of space on the body. The flower type most likely had a hand in this too.

Once the host found out about the curse, usually and traditionally, the host isolates themselves. Back in the day, even if it was contagious, if you had a curse or mentioned magic you would be stoned if not burned at the stake. Once magic became more widespread because of adventurers and even superheroes, it became the norm because no one wanted their friends and family to watch them slowly die. Why put them through that? Better to die alone in the end. There was also the fact that no one outside the Honey family knew about the curse, it just became a habit to not say anything and hide it away by the time they could talk about it.

Not that it would matter. There is no known cure for the Flower Curse. The whole family has generations worth or research and time dedicated to finding a cure, but nothing was ever found. Everything from science to magic, nothing was ever found. "Doomed be we", as they say.

After the sixth generation, the curse stopped for about three generations. Not knowing why, the whole Honey family-line was hopeful and worried that this was finally it, that it was done. That, or it was going to come back with a vengeance when they least expected it.

They were right.

Hope Azalea Honey was now the start and end to the seventh generation. With no other cousins or family members around her age, and being 22 herself, she was technically the only seventh Generation Honey.

 _~My Answer Was Laughter~_

"I'm going to die..." Hope whispered before it truly hit her. "Ha...hahah _AHAHAHA!_ "

The tall duck lost it. Laughing herself silly, all she could do was stare at the flower that her hand was still on.

She was going to _die_.

And not just any death. Oh, no. Hope was going to die via toxic flowers that were going to slowly overtake her body. Poisoning her from the inside out until her very heart stops after the torture. They were going to kill her, slow her body, numb her until she can't move. The pretty pink flowers, the azaleas are going to slaughter her.

These precious looking flowers are her murders, the ones who will kill her.

So it's best that she laugh. Laugh it all out while she can. Listen to it in case the azaleas decide to take her hearing along with everything else. They might even take her voice for all Hope knew. She didn't know what will come or how it will go, all she knows is how it will end; her dying.

So, yes, better to laugh before her _slaughter_.

After all, you can't spell slaughter without _laughter_.

 _~Soft As I Lowered My Head~_

Lowing her head, tightening her hand around the flower, Hope _Pulled_.

Pain flared, making her laughter turn into near silent screams of pain. Knees buckling, Hope fought not to fall as nausea and temporary vertigo overtook her. Swaying on her feet, Hope happened to glace to the full length mirror right in front of her.

The azalea was _mocking_ her.

Even under her hand, she could see the pink flower, soft in color so deceiving. Red hot anger boiled inside of her, making her clinch her free hand into a fist so tight that she about drew blood with her nails. Rage was something she rarely felt, Hope was usually too mellow if not oblivious to feel such strong anger.

Sadly, Hope had a feeling that rage would become common to her until she was on her deathbed.

So, without a second thought, Hope shot forward and threw the full length mirror to the floor. Shattering it into a hundred if not thousand pieces.

It felt _good_.

Now the mirror was like how her life was. _Shattered_.

 _~You're Too Late,~_

Still silently screaming, Hope started to yank _hard_ on the azalea. It was a mistake. If it was as simple as pulling the flowers off, her ancestors would have done it years ago and this wouldn't be a issue.

It only took one yank to send her to the ground, her legs giving out. Glass shards dug into her, but she paid it not mind, it just mixed in with the rest of the pain she was feeling. Pain, like red hot needles being injected into her from all angles, wreaked her body. Gagging, Hope suddenly threw up all she had eaten yesterday.

Not feeling anything yet feeling everything, Hope's body heaved as it fought to get rid of everything in her stomach. She paid the glass no mind as she clawed at the ground, trying so hard to get feeling back within them. Her hands were numb, she couldn't feel them any more. Fear was clouding her mind, making her want to bang her head on the ground to just prove that she was in fact still alive.

Even as her stomach was empty, she still kept gagging. Coughing, a scratchy sort of pain happened inside her throat. Soon the vomit was joined by _red_.

 _~I'm Afraid,~_

Hope fought to lift her numb hand, not being able to even move her fingers made the whole thing difficult. Jerking her hand, she was able to wipe her beak. Leaning close, as she didn't have her glasses on and was nearsighted, Hope took in the red color.

 _Blood_.

Blank eyes watched as the sticky red liquid ran down the white feathered hand, dripping into the vomit and glass that surrounded her and was on her.

 _'It's over, isn't it?'_

Taking in a shuddering breath, Hope let her tears fall freely. Rage leaving and leaving coldness in it's wake. The pain was slowly fading to a dull ache, reminding her that it would always be there and waiting for her.

Rage would have been welcomed right now. Yet for the life of her, Hope couldn't muster it up.

Not when she can clearly see her death - _vomit, blood, broken glass, pain, numbness, illness, everything fading in a snap_ \- right before her even without her glasses on.

 _~This Flower Is Already-~_

Not caring for the vomit, glass or blood on the floor or on her, Hope curled up into a ball on the floor. Listening to and feeling her own heartbeat as if it would be the last time it would ever beat inside her chest.

It very well could be for her though.

Seeing pink out of the corner of her left eye and within the glass shards around her face, Hope closed her eyes. Hope prayed for mercy, knowing that she would get none. Why should she get such mercy when none of her ancestors were able to? Hope wasn't above them or better then them, she knew how this whole thing was going to end.

Didn't make it any easier to swallow or think about. It just made her all the colder. Death was waiting for her, it was only the matter of time.

Hope laid in the mess for over twenty-four hours. Not once moving, she just laid there, listening to her body and trying to memorize everything about herself like it was her last day.

By the time she got up, the vomit and blood stained her and the hardwood floor. Glancing into the shards of glass, Hope stared in it for over two hours before getting up to get herself and her room cleaned. numbly going through the motions.

In her reflection, it showed that another azalea has joined the first one. It was only a matter of _when_. When will the azaleas overtake her body.

Hope Azalea Honey was going to die.

 _No_...

Hope knew that she was already dead.

 _ **~Dead~**_

 ** _-End Chapter-_**

 _Hope is the start and end to the seventh generation to have the curse, making her the 'Seventh Maid' as you can say. Although, the Flower Curse has killed off hundreds of her family members before her time. This is only counting the Flower Curse, how many generations it effected, not how long the family-line has been going. If that was the case, it would be way longer then just seven generations._

 _The average age of mothers at birth of their first child was 20 and at the last birth 31, giving a mean of_ _ **25.5 years**_ _per female generation — considerably above the 20 years often attributed to primitive cultures. Husbands were six to 13 years older, giving a male generational interval of 31 to 38 years._

 _Hope's family is on the older side with a lot of younger coming in behind her, meaning that she is smack dab in the middle - at the age of twenty-two. Because of this, she is the only one in the seventh generation. If one of her younger cousins get infected with the Flower Curse, then they would be the Eighth Generation to have the Flower Curse. Not that they will, only Hope has it now._

 _Every family member had a different flower, or at the least different color flower. It was rare to have the same type of flower and color as someone else. No one knows why they have this curse or a cure for it, it just is for them. It's like cancer in a way, only they can't get rid of it._

 _Hope is obviously in shock and not in a good mental place right now. Knowing that you are going to die one day is a given, but it's like saying you have cancer right here and it's too late to get rid of it. Her worst fears are coming to life right now - it's not a good thing._


	2. Isn't Death Beautiful?

Secret Garden - Roze & Iggy

 _I do not own the video or song, they belong to their respectful owners._

 _This was the song I was listening to when I thought up this story._

 ** _-Start Chapter-_**

"...I'm _so sorry_ babydoll..." Tears were still falling from her eyes, slow and steady as she tried to memorize the male voice on the other side of the phone. Scratchy and gruff from sobbing, but it still meant so much to her.

"I know...I love you Daddy." Hope whispered softly, as if telling a secret.

"I love you too baby." The male voice whispered back, screaming and sobbing sounding out in the background on the other side.

"Is this call being recorded?" Hope asked after a moment, hand coming up to feel the azaleas that were gathering on the left side of her head.

"As soon as you said you had the curse, I made sure to...Wouldn't want to forget your voice, would I?" Her Father laughed without humor, making Hope bitterly smile.

"Then I'll say it now; Mama, I love you. I'll miss you both...I'm sorry..." The apology just came out. It wasn't her fault this was happening...right? There was no way to tell why the curse came to those it did, so maybe it was her fault. She still doesn't think her karma was _that_ bad though.

"There's no need for you to apologize Hope! It's not like you asked for this to happen to you." Was the harsh answer that came for her 'sorry'. Sniffing, Hope wiped her face for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Tears, Hope wondered when she would run out of them.

"I know Daddy...I better get going. I have to call work to let them know I'm quitting for _health_ reasons." Good thing she lives in St. Canard. So much crazy things happen in this city make it so that Hope calling in saying that she has to quit - _or even just can't come in for the day_ \- for health reasons won't be questioned. Not when there are some people that have to quit their jobs because they were electrocuted by a criminal and can't move, or because of some random villainous plot that is going on around them.

Hope can still recall the time she had been over three hours late to work, and it was waved off. All because she had to stop at the bank, just when Negaduck himself decided to make a... _withdrawal_ from the very same bank. It said a lot that the people of St. Canard took this all in stride, that she herself takes this in stride. She's sure that others in different towns, like Duckbrug, can't.

"Okay babygirl...I'll let the rest of the family know then." Good thing too. Hope didn't think she could do this more then she had to. It was killing her - _Ha! She can still make jokes._ \- to do it now.

"... _Bye_ Daddy." Pain that had nothing to do with the flowers on her flared inside of her. It was like her heart, her very soul, cracked.

" _Goodbye_ my little girl." Her Father said it like a plea, the sobbing in the background grew worse.

Hope sighed, hanging up the phone. Saying goodbye sounded so much like a death sentence. But that's most likely because this could be the very last time she talked to them if she went down the traditional rout.

It took two days and five more flowers growing on the left side of her head before Hope started make her calls.

The First day was laying around in her own vomit and blood with some glass thrown in for shits and giggles, crying and sobbing, listening to her body to just prove to herself she was real and alive.

The second day was filled with numbness. After cleaning her room and herself, Hope just watched her reflection in whatever shinny surface there was in front of her. Two more flowers grew and bloomed right in front of her eyes.

Now to present time, after another azalea has come to life on her.

Hope first called her parents, as she had to tell her family that the curse was on her. Meaning, that it could also happen to others as well.

She spent most of the day listening to her Dad softly asking what kind of funeral she wanted. Both Father and Daughter choked on their sobs as they tried to talk about her funeral. All Hope was able to get out was that she wanted a green coffin and no azaleas in the place or on her grave, _ever_. The tall duck was going to die because of those damned flowers, she didn't want them anywhere near her anymore or even after her body is cold and decaying in the ground. She could hear her Mom screaming "MY BABY'S GONE!" in the background. As soon as that flower blooms, in the Honey family, you are already dead. It wasn't just screaming either, it was a sob and a desperate plea all rolled into a screaming pitch of denial. It held so much emotion in it that Hope could feel her hair stand up straight.

After all that, her Dad had told her that he would pay for her bills via mail - _as they lived a few cities over_ \- until she...passes on. So that way Hope is less stressed out in the long run in that area.

Once that call was over, Hope called the library, where she worked. She told her boss that she came down with a terminal illness that had no know cure, she was not going to make it, and that she shouldn't leave her house at the time either just in case even if it is not contiguous. Therefor, she has to quit sadly. Her Boss was sympathetic and even said that she would get a paid two-weeks off, as Hope should have given a two weeks notice. After the two weeks, she then would be free from her job. Not that she is coming in anyway if they told her to and didn't give her the two weeks off. Luckily for her, her Boss was too sweet for that.

Hope tried to talk her Boss out paying her for those last two weeks - _what was a dead duck going to need money for?_ \- but said Boss would hear none of it. Softly thanking her Boss, Hope hanged up.

Traditionally, that would be it. Call who was needed, then get ready to just seclude yourself as much as you can. And with the internet now? Hope could never go outside if she wanted. It was ironic that she was already a homebody, to the point where it worried her friend.

Yet, Hope was going to have to break tradition.

Nicole Nemesis has been Hope's best friend since first grade. In a lot of ways, Nicole was Hope's sister. Not calling Nicole to tell her what was going on seemed wrong. Eventually Nicole was going to come over and demand for Hope to come out with her. It was better to do it now while she still had the energy to explain everything. The energy to still _talk_.

She also wanted to hear Nicole's voice one last time. To memorize it, record the call like she did with the others, so that she can listen back to it anytime while she can still move and breath.

So what if it was tradition. Times have changed and she was already dead. What did it matter to her in the long run? It all ends in her demise anyways.

Taking in a shaking breath, Hope hit call on her phone.

"...Nicole?" Hope choked out, tears gathering in her eyes once more. "I know I'm not suppose to call while your at school, but...But I need to tell you something..." Taking in a shuddering breath, Hope decided that beating around the bush would just make things worse. So, she let it out.

The tall and thin duck pictured her friend in front of her. A long eared, peach colored cat with a pink nose that only came up to her chest. Short light brown hair framing her face in a short bob, large brown eyes and a wide and sharp smile. One golden earring swinging around as she moved. Wearing her usual blue eye shadow, black jacket, blue shirt, dark jeans and tennis shoes, Nicole stood in front of her.

Keeping the image of her smiling friend in the front of her mind, Hope bluntly said what needed to be said; Breaking over a hundred years of tradition.

"I'm dying."

 **-With Nicole, Duckburg University-**

 _"I'm dying."_

Nicole felt the world, the very Earth below her feet, give out. Crumbling under her. The young cat paid no mind to the whispering collage students around her as she fell to her knees, waiting in the hallway for the classroom door to open and for class to start.

"Wh...What-!?" Nicole couldn't even form a whole sentence, her whole body shaking.

 _"I...It runs in the family. But it skipped a few generations, so I never thought I would get it."_ Hope's voice was like a whisper. Yet, to Nicole, it was like she was screaming.

"Cancer?" The peach cat whispered out, holding onto her cell like it was a life-line.

 _"No...Although that does run in the family too. I wish I had gotten that, but I'm not that lucky."_ Nicole could hear Hope laughing without any humor to it. _"Cancer is treatable. This...This_ _ **isn't**_ _. It only runs in_ _ **my**_ _family, Nicole. No one else's."_

"This what is it?!" Nicole growled out, eyes lighting up with so many emotions. "What could be so bad that there is nothing we can do?!"

 _"Magic."_ Came the blunt answer. Nicole's eyes went wide, tears forming in her eyes. _"A curse. We don't know how the family got it, only that we have had it for six generations straight, only stopping for whatever reason and and then coming to kill me. I'm the first and last of the seventh generation for this to happen to our family. This...This curse has killed over thousands of people in my family Nicole...I-I'm not...I'm going to_ _ **die**_ _."_

"Ms. Nemesis?"

Nicole's head shot around so fast, her neck cracked. There, standing behind her with a worried and concerned expression was one of her teachers. A older turtle wearing a lab sweater, trousers and a lab coat. Mr. Sheller.

"Ms. Nemesis, what is wrong? Why are you crying?" Mr. Sheller asked in concern, old eyes heavy at the sight of one of his students crumbled on the ground. When he had opened the door to let the students in, he didn't expect the whispers of one student collapsing to her knees with a heartbreaking expression. And he for sure wasn't ready for the _"I wonder who died?"_ to come out of one student as well.

So, he did with any good teacher would do. Step out of the classroom and see if he can help in any way.

 _'I'm...crying...?'_ Raising her free hand to her face, she felt the cold tears running down her face. Coming back to the present, Nicole could make out Hope talking on the phone.

 _"Nicole? Nicole! Are you still there? Is everything okay?!"_

"I...I'm...fine..." The peach cat shook her head right after she said that. "No. Sorry, that was a lie. I'm not fine."

 _"O...Okay..."_

Nicole gulped, focusing on her teacher. "Mr. Sheller...I-I need to go."

 _"What?! Nicole, no! You don't need to-"_

"Shut up, Honey!" Nicole snapped into the phone, making Hope immediately shut her beak with a click. "I'm coming over! Expect me in about fifteen minutes. And that's only if I keep to traffic laws."

Before her friend could say anything more, Nicole ended the call.

Giving all her attention to her teacher, Nicole slowly stood up. "I...I need to go, Mr. Sheller. M...My friend, she's...she's..." Nicole choked, unable to finish it. To say it would make it real. No, no. It couldn't be real. Not Hope Honey. Not her best friend. Not her sister in all but blood.

Mr. Sheller took in his student's shaking form, the tears still falling from her eyes and the way her eyes were screaming out. He knew what she was unable to say, it wasn't hard to see.

"Of course. Take all the time needed. Just make sure to email your other teachers and the school." Mr. Sheller softly reminded his student. "Go on then...you never know how much time is left."

Dark brown eyes went wide, and then before Mr. Sheller knew what was going on, the young cat was already running down the stairs.

Mr. Sheller glanced out the window, taking in the nice sunny day without a cloud in sight.

 _'Why is life so cruel to the younger generation? The young should bury the old, not the other way around.'_

 **-With Hope-**

Hope took in a shuddering breath, sitting on her small green couch in the living room. She had already unlocked the door, as she knew that it was either that or Nicole would bust it down before she even thought about knocking.

Staring blankly at her off TV for only stars knows long, Hope numbly felt the left side of her head.

She had two new flowers blooming on her.

 _'Wha...What am I going to do now?'_ Hope sighed aloud, looking down at her hand. _'What's the point in doing anything?'_

The tall and thin duck knew she was going to die no matter what. And by the rate of how the azaleas were blooming on her - _unless they slowed down for whatever reason_ \- it would be sooner rather than later unlike some of her ancestors.

 _'I'm going to die. I'm going to leave behind everyone and everything, stop breathing, stop moving. I won't see my family and friends again.'_ Hope's heart started pounding, eyes watering once more. _'What I am seeing and feeling will be gone. I'm going to sleep and never wake up. The unknown will take me-!'_

Burying her head into her hands, Hope tried to will the thoughts of what was to come away. _'Don't think about it. Don't think about it!'_

So lost in her thoughts, Hope never noticed the door opening.

It took less time than Nicole thought to get to Hope's apartment, but that was only because she had hit almost every green light and had her foot on the gas pedal at all times. Really, it was shocking when no cops tried to pull her over, but once she passed into St. Canard Nicole knew that it would be safe to speed along. Luckily, the University was close to the bridge that lead into St. Canard, so it was safe to just go for for it.

Not that she would have stopped even if Darkwing Duck himself was chasing after her. There were more important things then jail time and speeding tickets.

Rushing up the stairs, and opening the door as quick as she could - _thanking everything that the door was unlocked_ \- Nicole paused to take in the curled up form that is her friend. Chest heaving, hands covering her face, and yet even then Nicole could make out...flowers on her head?

Softly closing the door, Nicole dumped her backpack on the ground, making Hope's head shoot up. Locking eyes with one another, Hope let some tears fall once more. "Nicole..." A shaking smile grew on her face as she pointed to the flowers on her. "Isn't death beautiful? My death is so pretty, isn't it?"

The cat flinched back as if struck. It took a moment before she could gather enough strength, enough bravery, to talk once more.

"Tell me everything." Nicole demanded, coming to stand right in front of the white duck. "Don't leave anything out. Tell me what is going on _now_."

Hope didn't even hesitate. "It's from the Honey side of the family; What we call the 'Flower Curse'. No one knows how it started or why, only that it does happen. The flowers are different every time, even if in color and or size only. They only share one trait; They are deadly in some way or another. Toxic, poisonous, you get the idea." Hope shakily laughed, refusing to look at her long time friend. "Azaleas are growing on me if you couldn't tell. What usually happens is that the flowers overtake the body. I am the earth and fertilizer for the flowers you could say; I am the garden for these flowers. Sooner or later, they will kill me with their poison and or overtake everything. It is more like torture than anything once you think about it."

"When did this start?" Nicole whispered, coming to kneel right in front of Hope.

"Do you mean when it started in the family? Or for me?" Hope weakly snorted with no humor at all. "We...don't know the exact year it started, but it was over a hundred of years ago at the least. Maybe longer if no one knew about it. But the first two who got hit were twins. Buttercups grew on them. One had yellow or golden buttercups, the other had red Persian buttercups growing on them. Little children, not even teens. In the stories, it is said they were very determined to find a cure, but died before it could happen. it's what made others do the same in the family, but nothing was ever found." Hope twitched, trying to smile but it fell flat. "Mine? It started about...two or three days ago."

"No cure?" Nicole growled softly, eyes narrowing. "There has to be something-"

"No." Hope cut off her friend brutally, finally lifting her head and looking Nicole straight into the eyes. "We have tried _everything_. Pulling the flowers off does more harm than good. In fact, that will just hurt them worse and kill them faster. Hurting the flowers hurts the body it is on. Radiation just makes the body sick as well as the flowers because of this. We've tried praying too. And no," Hope went on to say, seeing the cat getting ready to speak. "we didn't stop there. The Honey's have kept records of everything that we have tried and how they failed to cure the curse. The records and stories have show and stated that we have done _everything_. All religions we have looked to. Going to any and all temples and talking with the most well known minds. All natural and unnatural cures have no worked. Just because we believe in something, doesn't mean we won't look at other options even if it is against our beliefs at the time, Nicole. We have records stating that some Honey's even went to talk to witches to see if anything could help."

"Well, this witch is not giving up on you." Nicole hissed out, eyes narrowed as her mind started turning.

"What's the point!" Hope snapped back, eyes going into a glare. "Traditionally, I'm supposed to just stay alone. Make it less hurtful to others. In fact, I wasn't supposed to even let you know about what is going on for this very reason. There is nothing that be done that hasn't already been tried."

"Get me those records." Was all Nicole said on the matter as she stood up. "I don't care what you have to do. If they are just papers or on a file now, get me them." With that, she started walking off.

Hope quickly sat up, nearly tripping over her feet. "Nicole, what are you doing?!"

"I'm going to use your computer to email the school to let them know to send all my assignments online until further notice." Nicole answered bluntly, not once stopping in her walking.

"There's no point in this, Nicole!" Hope tried to reason with her best friend. "Just let me-!"

Nicole swiftly turned around, her eyes blazing with so many emotions that it stopped Hope in her tracks.

"Do not **ever** finish that sentence." The peach cat lowly stated, looking furious. "I am not going to just let you **die**. There is always a point in living and wanting someone to live. I am not gong to just sit here and do nothing for you! What makes you think I'm just going to watch you wither away into nothing?! No, I'm going to tell you what is going to happen from now on. I am going to read those records, look for a cure and then once I find it, we are going to celebrate. One day, you going to get married, have or adopt some kids and we are going to laugh about this years from now." Nicole took in a deep breath, standing tall as she could. "Do not _ever_ , ask me to just **give up** on you. Would you like it if I did the same?"

Seeing Hope wince, Nicole knew she won this round.

"Now. I am going to go send that email. And you are going to get those records." Nicole waited until Hope nodded in agreement. Once that was done, she turned right back around. "We'll make it through, Hope. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Hope blankly watched her best friend walk off.

 _'Nicole...when did you get to be the positive one? This is why we have the tradition in place, isolation makes it hurt all the less in the end.'_ Hope numbly glanced back to the TV, seeing her flowers in full bloom on her head.

 _'My body is the garden, my flowers are the secret that will kill me. There is no way out of this...I'm so sorry...'_

 ** _-End Chapter-_**

 _Here it is! Sorry for the wait on it._

 _Nicole and Hope are in no way okay, and this will show a lot more on Nicole in the next chapter._

 _Nicole is not just going to wait for her friend to die, she is going to try anything and everything until the very end. Hope, meanwhile, thinks that nothing will work, obviously. Years has passed and no cure was ever found. So, yeah, Hope is a little - a lot - depressed right now and for very good reasons._

 _Neither are okay, but that is a given. In this situation, no one would be. Never mind that they have a unknown time limit - for Nicole to find a cure and for when the flowers kill Hope - that is making them more stressed than ever._

 _Next chapter; We finally get Scrooge!_


End file.
